Long before the explosive Oprah interview and the ocean that now separates the Sussexes from the Windsors, there was a small, seemingly insignificant object: a tube of lip gloss. According to Prince Harry's bombshell memoir Spare, it was this very gloss that became a flashpoint in the already simmering tension between his wife, Meghan Markle, and her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. The incident, which took place backstage at the Royal Foundation Forum in 2018, is now widely cited as one of the earliest public cracks in the facade of the 'Fab Four' — the once-united front of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan.
The Setting: The Royal Foundation Forum
The Royal Foundation Forum, held in February 2018, was meant to showcase the collaborative charitable work of the two couples. It was a carefully choreographed event designed to project unity and shared purpose. The four royals appeared on stage together, answering questions about their philanthropic initiatives. But behind the scenes, Harry writes, the atmosphere was less harmonious. It was during the preparation for this event that the lip gloss incident occurred.
According to Harry, Meghan, who had recently joined the Royal Family, asked Kate if she could borrow her lip gloss — a habit he describes as 'typically American.' Kate, taken aback, reluctantly retrieved the gloss from her bag. Meghan applied it, and Harry notes that Kate visibly grimaced. While the moment might have been humorous or easily forgotten, it left a lingering discomfort. Harry reflects that it should have been something to laugh about, but instead, it 'left a little trace' — a crack in the fragile bond between the two duchesses.
The Fab Four: From Unity to Fracture
Early on, the relationship between the two couples appeared warm. Following Harry and Meghan's engagement in November 2017, William and Kate released a statement expressing their delight. They said, 'We are thrilled for Harry and Meghan. It has been a real pleasure to get to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together.' Yet, even as these words were shared, tensions were building. The lip gloss incident is just one of several episodes that Harry details in his book, painting a picture of a relationship that soured quickly after the wedding in May 2018.
Royal biographer Tina Brown has noted that the dynamic during the Royal Foundation Forum was already problematic. She observed that Meghan, a confident and experienced public speaker, occupied the majority of the airtime, leaving Kate, who is more reserved, in the shadows. This imbalance, Brown suggests, contributed to a 'difficult dynamic' that ultimately led to the decision that the four royals would no longer appear together on stage. The gloss incident was a symptom of a deeper unease — one rooted in differing backgrounds, communication styles, and the immense pressure of royal life.
More Than a Gloss: The Wedding Dress Dispute
The tension between Meghan and Kate was not limited to backstage moments. Just days before Harry and Meghan's wedding on May 19, 2018, a heated disagreement erupted over the dresses of the bridesmaids — who included Princess Charlotte, Kate's daughter. Reports at the time suggested that Meghan was unhappy with the fit of the dresses, leading to an emotional confrontation that reduced Kate to tears. Harry's account in Spare confirms the dispute, though he frames it as a misunderstanding exacerbated by pre-wedding stress.
Tailor Ajai Mirpuri, who worked on the dresses, has since played down the severity of the argument, noting that weddings are inherently stressful. 'I can totally understand being upset about dress issues,' he said. However, for many royal observers, the dress dispute was further evidence of a widening chasm between the two women — a chasm that would only grow in the months and years to come.
Jealousy and a Strange Theory
Adding fuel to the fire, royal expert Ingrid Seward proposed a provocative theory: that Meghan grew jealous of Kate's close bond with Harry. She suggested that Harry might have been 'a little bit in love with Kate' — not physically, but mentally, admiring her stability and her place within the family. Whether or not this theory holds water, it underscores the perception that Meghan struggled to find her footing among the Windsors, while Kate, after years of courtship and marriage, was firmly established.
Meghan's own remarks about Kate's 'baby brain' during her pregnancy with Prince Louis were also cited as a source of friction. What may have been intended as a lighthearted comment was received as a slight, further widening the divide. Between the gloss incident, the dress disagreements, and these personal jabs, the relationship between the Duchesses became a central story of royal dysfunction.
The Fallout: A Family Divided
The lip gloss incident, while minor in itself, has become emblematic of the broader breakdown in communication and trust between the Sussexes and the Cambridges. In the years that followed, the 'Fab Four' disbanded. Harry and Meghan stepped back from senior royal duties in early 2020 and eventually relocated to California. Since then, public interactions have been rare, and reports of estrangement have dominated headlines. Royal commentator Russell Myers has described the relationship between William and Harry as 'as bad as it could possibly be,' a far cry from the brothers who once mourned their mother together.
In Spare, Harry does not place all the blame on Kate or William. He acknowledges his own role in the tensions and expresses regret over how things unfolded. But the memoir leaves little doubt that the early days of his marriage were marked by a series of misunderstandings and perceived slights — with the borrowed lip gloss standing as a recurring symbol of the gulf between two women who, on the surface, had so much in common.
Looking Back: The Human Side of Royal Rivalry
What makes the lip gloss story so compelling is its ordinariness. It is a moment that could happen between any two sisters-in-law or friends. But because it played out against the backdrop of one of the world's most scrutinized families, it took on outsized significance. Harry's decision to include it in his memoir invites readers to see the royals not as untouchable figures, but as flawed human beings navigating complex relationships under extraordinary pressure.
For Meghan, the gloss incident may have been a small attempt at bonding — a casual gesture of sisterhood that fell flat. For Kate, it was perhaps an intrusion on her personal space, a breach of the unspoken rules of royal etiquette. For Harry, it was a moment that crystallized the difficulties his wife faced in adapting to a family with rigid traditions and high expectations. Whether one sees it as a trivial freeze-up or a meaningful portent, the gloss remains a powerful lens through which to view the fracture of a modern monarchy's most promising generation.
As the years pass and the brothers remain estranged, the story of the shared lip gloss serves as a reminder that even the smallest objects can carry immense symbolic weight — especially when they are caught between two duchesses and a camera that never stops watching.
Source: Closer News